Drifted Sparks Series--Part 3. After the Storm
by Silver Spider
Summary: When the Predacons kidnap a baby, the Maximals must rush to save it. In the end, one question is asked: what dose the child have to do with the war?


**Summery: When the Predacons kidnap a baby, the Maximals must rush to save it. In the end, one question is asked: what dose the child have to do with the war?**

**Author's Note: The song I used don't belong to me, I'm not making any money, so don't sue me. Boy, how many times do I have to say it?******

**Drifted Sparks Series **

**Part 3.**** After the Storm**

**By: Kayla Anasazi (a.k.a. Silver Spider)**

Prologue 

     "This is the Oracle program. Now downloading into Earth computer systems,"  spoke the gentle female voice, "Download completed. Beginning search for selected Maximal spark. Scanning, scanning … selected Maximal spark located."

**Chapter 1**

     It was three weeks after the Maximals discovered Depth Charge and the two Predacons. Surprisingly, the Predacons didn't show themselves, even in school, which was ending in four weeks. All seemed peaceful enough, but Ryan warned everyone that it may be the calm before the storm. Most of them ignored his warning though. But the storm did strike, just not in the way Ryan expected. 

     At 11 p.m. on a Friday night, Ariana and Justin sat on her bed watching a movie. For them, this seemed like the perfect thing to do considering what the weather was like outside. Thunder and lightning played tag with the wind and rain, which placed a wall of water in front of anyone who dared to step outside and into the fury of the storm. Ariana's mother had called earlier and told her that she was planing to stay over a co-worker's that lived closer. Jamie was also sleeping over a friend house. 

     Ariana could hardly believe this was happening. She only hopped her luck would hold out. She and Justin had been watching "Meet Joe Black." Both seemed to enjoy the movie, but now felt a bit fatigued. The movie was good but too long, in Justin's opinion. 

     Now they just lay on the bed with soft music playing in the background. Justin stroked her long, dark hair. Ariana laid with her head on his chest, listening to the steady, strong beating of his heart. Then a new song came on.

"_When you feel all alone_

_And the world has turned its back on you_

_Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart_

_I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you_

_It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold_

_When darkens is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore"_

     "Isn't it getting late?" Justin said, "I should go before I get you into trouble."

     Ariana shook her head, "Don't worry about that. My mom and Jamie won't be back till morning. Besides, I much more like being inside with you then alone." Ariana suddenly felt a strong wave of fatigue wash over her. She yawned. 

_"When you feel all alone_

_And a loyal friend is hard to find_

_You're caught in a one way street_

_With the monsters in your head_

_When hopes and dreams are far away and_

_You feel like you can't face the day"_

     "Tiered?" Justin asked. She nodded, "It's okay. You can close your eyes. I'll stay awake," he promised. 

     "Thanks. I haven't had much sleep with the last of the finals, or with having to deal with Alex and Devon's constant arguing." 

     "Couldn't guess it would be this bad, huh?" Justin snorted. But Ariana didn't hear him. She had already drifted off to sleep.

_"Let me be the one you call _

_If you jump I'll break your fall_

_Lift you up and fly away with you into the night_

_If you need to fall apart_

_I can mend a broken heart_

_If you need to crash then crash and burn _

_You're not alone."_

**Chapter 2**

     Ariana opened her eyes when a sharp, silver light hit them. At first, she thought it was Silverbolt, then she recognized that Justin was laying next to her. So what was this?

     She got out of bed and looked around. A part of her room started glowing in a pulsating, silver light. Ariana gasped as she saw a strange, silvery substance appear on the floor. The substance collected into a puddle and then rose higher. It started changing shape until it looked more or less human.  

     Ariana didn't know what to think of this. It didn't seem like anything the Predacons could do. So what was it? She suddenly realized that she could no longer hear the music which she hadn't turned off. For that matter, she couldn't hear the  storm outside either. She knew it hadn't stopped since she could see the rain, lightning, and the trees swaying under the wind. 

     She straitened herself and faced the strange thing. Finally, she got her nerve together and spoke, "Who are you? What do you want?" 

     To Ariana's surprise, it spoke back. It didn't have a moth to speak from and yet, somehow Ariana did here the soft, gentle, female voice come from the object. 

     "I am the Oracle program. You are now connecting with the Matrix, the all spark that connects everything that has ever liver or will ever live."   

     Ariana was stunned. The Oracle! The Matrix! Did that mean…

     "Am I going to die? Am I going off line?" she asked in a shaky voice. 

     "No, Blackarachnia. Not you," the voice responded. 

     Ariana let out a sigh of relief, "Then why are you here. I thought the Oracle was on Cybertron."

     "I was downloaded into your computer system," the Oracle replied, "as to why I'm here…I am here to warn you."

     "Warn me? About what?" Ariana frowned. 

     "About the fait of someone close to your heart. That person is in grave danger. Soon, he will perish," 

     Ariana shot a glance at Justin. Somehow, she knew that he was the one the Oracle was talking about. She didn't want to believe it, but knew it was true. "No," she clenched her fists tight. 

     "Yes. The time has almost come for his spark to join the Matrix. I shall leave you with that."

     "No!," Ariana felt hot tears on her face. She fell on her knees. When she looked up, the Oracle was gone.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "Ariana," she herd a dim voice in the darkness, "come on, love. Wake up." Ariana, then, opened her eyes. For a moment she couldn't see anything because her eyes were filled with tears. She quickly wiped them away and looked at Justin, who looked back, his own eyes filled with worry. 

     "You cried in your sleep," he told her, "did you have a nightmare?"

     Ariana thought for a moment then reached out and hugged him. "I hope so," she breathed.

**Chapter 3**

     The storm had ended by morning. Justin had reluctantly left and Ariana's mother and Jamie were back. Mrs. Bailey was in the kitchen making breakfast and Jamie was on the living room floor watching Saturday morning cartoons when Ariana came down stairs.

     "Good morning, sweetheart," her mom called from the kitchen, "sleep well?"

     "Not really," Ariana shook her head, went to the living room, and plopped down on the couch.

     "You know, you should have slept like a baby," Jamie grinned at his sister from his position on the floor, "considering you-know-who was there." 

     "And if you know what's good for you, you'll forget he was ever there," Ariana through a pillow from the couch at her brother. 

     "Fine, fine. Consider it forgotten," Jamie returned to his cartoons. 

     Ariana suddenly remembered something and ran back to the kitchen, "Oh mom I forgot to tell you. My friends and I are planning a trip to the lake today since it'll be like 90 degrees outside. Can I go?"

     "Yes. But put it in your plan to take your brother with you. I'm helping out a friend and won't be back till Monday," her mother replied.

     "Okay if you insist. I'll go change now. See you," Ariana ran back up stairs. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     The cool water seemed like heaven at the 90 degree temperature. Everyone was having fun. The older boys challenged each other to swimming races, which Devon usually ended up winning. Jamie brought his water gun along. Ariana just sat on shore with her feet dangling in the water, writing in her journal. Five minutes later, the guys came out of the water after finishing their last race. 

     "Man, I can't believe Devon beet us seven out of ten races," Chris complained. 

     "Believe it," Ryan chuckled, "you may be the fastest on land, but not in the water."

     A sudden smile came to Ariana's lips. She closed her journal and faced them. "How about in the air?"

     "What do you have in mind?" Devon sounded interested immediately.

     "Well, my telekinesis isn't strong enough to race through the air, but I'll bet Justin, or rather Silverbolt wouldn't mind taking you on. Right?" she turned to Justin.

     "Sure," he excepted the challenge

     "Hey, whish I could race with you guys," Chris sounded disappointed, "If I was in my Transmetal state I could, but I can't."

     "Actually," Devon flashed an evil grin, "this pup can use a flying lesson, and I don't think the cat can teach it to him." 

     "I don't think a fish can do any better," Ariana said, "it'll take a better bot to bring Silverbolt down. But let's wait and see, shall we?"

     "Sure. Depth Charge, MAXIMIZE!"

     "Silverbolt, MAXIMIZE!" 

     "Okay guys," Chris said, "get ready…get set…FLY!"

     Both took off like bluets right above the river. Not surprisingly, after a while Silverbolt took the lead. Suddenly, he holed and directed his attention to the forest. Something was moving between the trees.

     "Depth Charge, stop!" he yelled, "something is down there."

     "You expect me to believe that," Depth Charge yelled back. He took the lead now.

     "No. Look," Silverbolt insisted, "do you not see it?"

     "See what?" Depth Charge had flown up next to him, "I don't have eagle eyes. What do you see?"

     "Something is down there," Silverbolt repeated. 

**Chapter 4**

     "Right," Depth Charge snorted, "either it's just a deer or you're chickening out of the race."

     Silverbolt glared at him. This was beneath his honor, of course, and he knew he did see something. He focused on the spot between the trees and then saw the flash again. This time, without waiting to argue with Depth Charge, Silverbolt sliced through the air towards the trees. 

     Luckily for him, his target was close to the shore of the river, otherwise Silverbolt had a really good chance of crashing his hard drive on the trees. Instead, he tackled his target without actually seeing who it was. Silverbolt felt his body impact metal and was relived that he had not made a mistake. When he looked up, he saw Rampage stumble and fall backward. Out of surprise, Rampage dropped what he was carrying. Silverbolt frowned when he recognized it as nothing more then a mess of blankets.

     Rampage, meanwhile, got to his feet. Silverbolt quickly shifted his attention back to him, and readied himself for battle. To his surprise, Rampage didn't seem ready to fight. 

     "Luckily for you, Maximal," he said, "I have much more important things to do." Then he ran into the forest. 

     Silverbolt considered chasing him, but then decided against it. At that time, Depth Charge arrived, "Well, what was it?"

     "It was Rampage," Silverbolt prayed Depth Charge wouldn't make a scene. 

     "Which way did he go?" Depth Charge asked quickly.

     "Never mind that. He dropped something," Silverbolt walked over to the mess of blankets. He reached for them, but at that time the others ran to them. 

     "What happened here?" Chris asked.

     "Rampage happened," Depth Charge replied, "but it looks like he left us a little present." Silverbolt picked up the sheets and puled on of them back. 

     It was not what any of them expected. Silverbolt's lightning yellow eyes widened as a tiny, pudgy hand reached out from the blankets. A pair of wide blue eyes stared into Silverbolt's yellow optics. Fuzzy, black hair fell on the blankets. It was a small child!

     A gasp of surprise echoed in the group. Ariana was the first to come closer. In the meantime, Silverbolt had changed back into Justin so as not to scare the child. Ariana reached out with her index finger and touched the baby's cheek. Instinctively, the child turned his head and started sucking on the finger. 

     "Hum," she said, thoughtfully, "still responds to that. I would say it's an infant, about three or four weeks old. Be careful with the head, Justin."

     "I don't get it," Chris frowned, "why would Rampage kidnap a baby."

     "Good question," Ryan said, "maybe something special about him. Any idea who he is?"

     Ariana reached out and carefully took the baby from Justin's arms. She looked around the sheets then noticed a blue piece of paper around the baby's wrist.

     "Well, this maybe some identification," she read it, "Angel Cole. I guess that's his name. Doesn't sound that special to me." 

     "Forget that," Alex said, "question is: what are we going to do?"

     "Take him to the police and let them contact his parents," Jamie suggested, "I mean, that would be the right thing to do."

     "Right, but foolish," Devon spoke. All eyes turned on him, "look, I know how Rampage thinks. If he wanted to torture this baby or his family for his own self enjoyment, he would've just killed that kid and left his body for his parents to find. I bet he was ordered to bring him to the Predacons. In which case, returning him to his family would only put him in more danger then he is now."

     Ryan sighed, "I hate to say this, but Devon's right. For now, we have to look after him."

**Chapter 5**

     "Whoa," Ariana put her hands up, "we're warriors not babysitters. I, for one, had my share of little kids when Jamie was born."

     "That's why you're perfect for this," Ryan concluded. 

     "Me? Why?" she looked outraged. 

     "Because you already know about this stuff. The rest of us are only children. Plus you're mom isn't home so you won't get into trouble." 

     "Oh alright," Ariana knew when she was beaten, "at least I have some of Jamie's old things. But the rest of you are going to help me. I think our short vacation is over. We're going back to my house. All of us." 

     "But Ariana…" Chris started. 

     "Now look," Devon didn't like the idea. 

     "Unless, of course, you boys think you can handle him yourselves." Ariana grinned. Immediately they agreed and followed her. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     After Jamie's old crib was put up and everything else with the baby was taken care of,  Angel fell asleep. Ariana said that he would sleep for about four hours so they had time to figure out why the Predacons wanted him. 

     "I want to go into the hospital birth and medical records and see if there's anything special about him. I mean, there had to be a good reason for why the Preds wanted him. As far as I know, they hate little kids more than I do."

     "I see your point," Ryan nodded, "alright, go ahead." 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     She worked for a half an hour until she found a computer copy of Angel's birth certificate. 

      "Okay guys, I found it," Ariana called. The others gathered around her computer screen. "His name is Angel Cole, as we all ready know. His parents are Victor and Martha Cole. He was born on December 27, 1999. Doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. 

     "Check if anyone else named Cole was born in that hospital," Ryan suggested. Ariana nodded and typed. A minuet latter, the Ryan's suspicions were confirmed. 

     "Yes, there was one other 19 years ago on October 6, 1981. Eric Cole was born to the same two parents Victor and Martha Cole. Must be Angel's brother."

     "I think we should speak with this Eric," Justin suggested, "maybe he has something to do with this."

     "Yeah, but he'd be 19 years old and probably in college," Chris pointed out, "so we have no way of finding him." 

     "Not exactly," Devon said, "it might take a little time but really all we have to do is check all the local college student records for an Eric Cole. I could do that." 

     "Sure," Ariana handed him the lap top. 

     Devon started typing. Within an hour, he checked ten colleges and universities. Finally, he came up with something. 

     "There you go," he looked pleased with himself, "there's an Eric Cole enrolled into Braxton University. That's about a hundred miles from here."

     "Well, we can't exactly get up and leave," Alex said. 

     "I can," Justin said unexpectedly, "If it's necessary, I can find Eric and speak with him."

**Chapter 6**

     "Are you sure?" Ariana asked, "shouldn't one of us go with you? Just in case," she suddenly remembered her dream. What if something happened to him?

     "I'll be fine," he placed one hand on her shoulder, then turned to Devon, "when should I leave?"

     "Best time is tomorrow morning," Devon replied, "I can help you get ready and print a map of where Braxton University is. Do you have some sort of way to get there besides flying?"

     "Yes. I have a motorcycle. I can use that. And I have a computer at home to print a map from since their busy on this one. You want to do that now?"

     "Yeah. Let's go." Devon and Justin got up and left.

     "We should go too," Ryan said as he, Chris, and Alex got up, "It's getting late. I want to check for Predacon activity and go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

     "Yeah and leave me stuck with a little kid," Ariana grumbled, "alright, alright. It's for the good of the team."  ****

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Ariana wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if what she was seeing was reality. She stood in her room and faced the Oracle. 

     "Why are you back?" Ariana demanded, "'you already brought me the worst possible news, what else can you do?" 

     "I am sorry for you're misfortune," the Oracle replied, "but it can't be helped. I am here to give you another warning."

     "Oh am I or someone else I care about going to die?!" Ariana felt anger boiling up in her.

     "No, Blackarachnia. I must warn you to control your emotions. The up coming events will be very traumatizing for you and you must not give into the rage."

     "Give into the rage?!" Ariana couldn't believe this, "First you come and tell me that the one I love will die and now you're telling me to suppress my emotions?!"

     "It is vital," the Oracle insisted, "You're emotions will jeopardize the out come of this war far more then you realize. You must control them. Think about it."

     The Oracle disappeared. Ariana could, suddenly, hear other sounds around herself. A far away cry caught her attention. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     She opened her eyes. The cry was defiantly real. It was Angel. Ariana looked at the clock. It was 2:04 a.m.. She got up and walked over to the crib.

     "Hi, Angel," she picked him up gently. He wasn't wet. **_Must be hungry, Ariana thought. Quickly, she prepared a bottle and sat down on her bed with Angel in her right hand and the bottle in the left._**

     "I have no idea why those creeps want you," she spoke to the baby, "but, there is no way I'm going to let them lay a finger on you." She looked down at the baby and smiled. A few more minutes, and Angel made a strange face and pushed the bottle out of his mouth.

     "I guess you're full, huh?" she took away the bottle, placed his head gently on her shoulder and patented his back. When he settled down, Ariana placed him back in the crib, and Angel quickly fell asleep. 

**Chapter 7**

     Devon agreed to help Justin prepare for his trip. At Justin's house, he showed Devon his motorcycle which he planed to use to get to the university. When they walked in the front door, they were first greeted by a large dog. Justin smiled, scratched the dog behind the ears, and it ran up stairs. 

     Just then, a woman with a dish towel came out of the kitchen. 

     "Hello, Justin," she said sweetly, "who's your friend?"

     "Oh…Mr. Gellar. This is Devon Harris, but we won't be long," Justin said, hastily.

     "Alright," the woman returned to the kitchen. Justin sighed and motioned for Devon to follow him up to his room. Devon, a bit puzzled by what just happened, followed Justin.

     When they got up, there were four rooms on the second floor. One of the doors opened, and a girl walked out. She looked about their age, maybe a bit younger, with reddish-blond hair and wide green eyes.

     "Don't you think it's a bit late for visitors, Just?" she said, "and you still promised to read my essay. When are you going to do that?"

     "I know, Rach," Justin nodded, "but I'm really busy."

     "You're always busy," the girl, Rachel, glared at him, "what do I need a big brother for?"

     "I'm not you're brother," Justin muttered. He brushed past her and opened the door to his room. Devon frowned and walked in after him. 

     "Okay, what was that all about?" Devon shut the door behind himself. 

     "What?" Justin asked. 

     "That. You acted like those people were total strangers," Devon pointed out the door, "aren't they your family?"

     "They are not," Justin shook his head. 

     "What?!"

     Justin sighed, "I should not tell you." 

     "Come on, it's time to revile this skeleton in your closet."

     "Alright," he took in a deep breath, "Just…just promise you won't tell the others."

     "I promise. Now what's going on?"

     "Well, truth is, the Gellars are not my real family. You see, my mother died when I was seven and my father suddenly disappeared so the Gellars adopted me. I know I should appreciate what this family has done for me, but I can't bring myself to call them "mom" and "dad" or to see Rachel as my "sister."

     "Whoa," Devon reached, "I had no idea."

     "It's okay. Just don't tell the others," Justin took in a deep breath, "I still go by my dad's last name, Carter. But enough about my family, we have a job to do."

     "Right," Devon was all business, "now, once you pull out on the highway, you travel…"

**Chapter 8**

     By Sunday morning, Justin got ready to leave. He told his foster parents that he was visiting a friend in college and that he didn't know when he would be back. He pulled out of the driveway and on to the open road. Justin put on his helmet and clicked the visor into place. The engine roared as he pushed down on the gas. A split second later, he was out of sight. 

     The buildings and other vehicles rushed past him as Justin raced onto the highway. His leather jacket waved in the wind and didn't stick to his shoulders. **_I've got to get there fast, Justin thought, _****_somehow, I get the feeling that major events depend on this Eric. I better step on it. He pressed harder on the gas. _**

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "Well, you are here but the child is not," Martin Scott stood up from behind his desk. This was a large mansion, richly decorated. Clearly, Martin was not poor for his age. Part of the mansion was living quarters for him, his parents, and the servants, but part of it was reserved for Predacon meetings. "So, where is he?" 

     "The Maximals have him," replied Rampage. He stood straight and changed into Logan. "They posed an unexpected problem."

     "And why was this problem not taken care of?" Martin slowly walked around the desk and leaned on it, facing Logan, "don't you understand that this child plays a vital role in this war?"

     "Of course. It's so nice to be important, even when you're a brat that's few month old," Logan hated his half brother by spark, but for now it was unwise to act up. 

     "In all my time of being human," Martin continued, "I have come to realize that much depends on emotions. Properly guided, it could prove very useful. The child alone is not special. It is someone else, we're after. The child is simply bait."

     "I understand that," Logan struggled to remain calm, "and we'll get him back."

     Just then Brandon (Tarantulas) and Kyle (Quickstrike) walked in, "We're already working on a plan to get that brat back," Brandon said, "foolproof."

     "It better be," Martin sat back down, "got to it."

     After Logan, Brandon, and Kyle left the room, Martin turned to his giant computer screen. He taped a few buttons and a face appeared on it. Martin recognized the surroundings as a college campus.

     "Dinobot," said the mysterious voice, "I did not expect to here from you."

     "I did not expect to call," Martin replied, "but the current situation has taken an unexpected turn."

     "How? I trust things are still going according to plan?"

     "It was, until the Maximals captured the child."

     "What?! If those mongrels start snooping around, they may find the reason the child is important?!" the voice exploded.

     "Yes. I'm afraid they already suspect something. Brandon and Kyle informed me that Silverbolt, or rather Justin, already decided to contact the child's brother."

     "He what! If he comes in contact with Eric Cole, all hell will break loss for us!"

     "We know. We are already working on a plan to intercept him," Martin said reasonably. Of all the Predacons, he was perhaps one of the few that did not experience any fear when he spoke to the owner of the voice. 

     "No," the voice said unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, "I will deal with him, personally. I shall allow the hero to gain axis to our old friend, Eric Cole. Only on the way back, both will have a little accident. The other Maximals won't get any information. After all, dead men don't talk."

**Chapter 9**

    The same time on Sunday, Ariana and the remaining Maximals were in her living room, discussing what they were going to do. Angel was asleep upstairs and Jamie was sitting with them but not really paying attention. He was getting quickly bored. After a few more minutes, when he couldn't take it any more, Jamie tugged on his sister's arm. 

     "What is it?" Ariana asked in an irritated voice. 

     "Can I go up and play my video games?"

     "Right now," said Ariana, "I don't care if you decide to climb up the walls and hang from the ceiling, as long as you do it quietly."

     Jamie suppressed a laugh. Instead he just nodded and headed to his room. There, he turned on his Nintendo and started playing. Suddenly, his concentration was interrupted by a sharp, loud cry from the other room. Annoyed that the baby had messed up his game, Jamie decided to see what was wrong. He walked over to his sister's room. The door was only partly closed, so he peaked in. His eyes widened as he saw Rampage pick up the screaming Angel and jump out the window.

     Jamie dashed down stirs. The others, who were alerted by the cream and were on their way up, stopped when they saw Jamie.

     "What's going on?" Ariana demanded. 

     "Rampage kidnapped Angel…again," her brother blurted out, "he jumped out the window!"

     "That means he's in the back yard," Ariana concluded. She ran back down and out the door, followed by everyone else.

     In the back, Rampage held the screaming child in one hand and his weapon in the other. Tarantulas and Quickstrike stepped out from behind the trees and faced the newly arrived and now transformed Maximals.

     "Well, looks like we've got ourselves a showdown," Quickstrike spit at the ground, "ya want this brat? Come an' get him!"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "Dinobot," the face appeared on his screen again.

     "Yes?" Martin turned to it.

     "I have just learned that Silverbolt arrived on college campus," the voice said.

     "I thought you were going to take care of it?" Martin frowned. 

     "I am," the voice snapped back, "but there's something else. Pull the Predacons out. We don't need the child anymore."

     "As you like," Martin sighed and turned off the screen. He reached down and opened one of his table drawers. In it was his holo-projector. He picked it up and set the coordinates.

     "Rampage, Quickstrike…"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "…Tarantulas," Martin's voice projected from his holo-image. The Predacons turned and faced him still keeping a half an eye on the Maximals. 

     "Predacons, stand down," Martin said.

     "Say what?!" Quickstrik was amazed.

     "And why should we do that?" Rampage demanded.

     "Because we have revised our strategy," Martin explained, "we do not need the child any longer. Return to base immediately." The holo-projection vanished. 

     "Alright," Tarantulas returned his gun to it's holder, "consider your selves lucky. With that they ran off, leaving Angel on the grass, frightened and crying.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     At the end of the day, Angel was returned to his parents.

**Chapter 10**

**Sunday afternoon,**

     After driving for nearly 2 hours, Justin pulled his motorcycle on to the college campus. He walked slowly and carefully up the front steps of the dorm room building. Once he had stopped when he got the feeling that someone was watching him. He ignored it, though, and came in the building. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Stephen Johnson stepped out from behind a tree. He was tall, brown hair, and strange, almost violet, eyes.

     **_So, he thought_****_, the mighty Silverbolt lives…but not for long._**

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "812-C," Justin looked up at the dorm number, then at the piece of paper in his hands, "I suppose this is the place." He took in a deep breath and knocked on the door.

     After a few seconds, the door opened and a tall, fair-haired, green eyed, young man stepped out. Was it Justin's imagination, or did the guy's eyes widen when he saw him? Justin quickly dismissed it and introduced himself.

     "Hello," he said, "I'm looking for Eric Cole. Dose he live here. 

     "You're looking at him," the man said, "I'm Eric."

     "I'm Justin Carter," they shook hands, "I must speak with you very urgently."

     "Please come in," Eric said.

     "Thank you," the door shut behind Justin.

     "Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Carter?" Eric sat down and motioned for Justin to do the same.

     "Please, call me Justin," he sat down, "and it's about your younger brother. I'm afraid I have rather disturbing news. You see, he's been kidnapped."

     "Kidnapped?" Eric's eyes widened but he didn't loose the cool in his voice.

     "Yes. My friends and I were able to intercept the kidnapper and Angel is now safe. But we think, the kidnapper wanted your brother for a reason. Would you know why?"

     "I might," Eric said, unexpectedly, "could you please describe the kidnapper?"

     **_Uh-Oh, Justin thought. He was afraid it would come to this. But it looked like he didn't have a choice._**

     "Alright…it was like this…," Justin told him about Rampage, but he didn't say anything about the Maximals. Eric listened patently, nodding here and there, "And that's how it is," Justin finished, "I know you don't understand, but…"

     "On the contrary," Eric got up. He didn't seem at all surprised! "I understand perfectly, Justin, or should I say, Silverbolt. I was afraid they would target Angel, because I am…"

**Chapter 11**

     Stephen walked over to the parking lot of the college and kneeled down in front of Justin's motorcycle.

     "Well, Silverbolt, this isn't quite a knight's death, but it's the best I can do. By the end of this trip you, as well as Eric, will posses a secret I just can't let escape. So you're taking this secret…to the grave." Stephen reached out for the breaks. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     By Monday morning, Eric had explained everything to Justin. Both agreed that the best thing to do would be for Eric to come too when Justin would go back.

     "We must hurry," Justin stepped on the gas.

     "Let's go," Eric put on the spare helmet.

     The motorcycle raised off, not aware of the danger.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Stephen stood by a tree as he watched the motorcycle raised off, headed for disaster. His lips curved in a devious smile.

     "Farewell, hero," he said and went back inside, as it started to rain.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     The rain pored down on the highway, making it slippery. Traffic slowed.

     "We should slow down," Eric said.

     "I know…I…," Justin pressed on the breaks. The motorcycle only went faster.

     "What are you doing? Stop!" Eric said in an alarmed voice.

     "I…," motorcycle went faster.

     "Stop! Justin, Silverbolt sto…," Eric didn't finish. The motorcycle crashed into the back of the truck up ahead. Justin veered left, but at the speed the vehicle was going, he lost control. It over turned sending Eric and Justin flying into the air.

     Eric hit the ground with an intense force, but was able to get back up. His whole body was bruised and scraped, but he was alive. He looked over at the body in front of him. It was Justin. Eric quickly noticed that his helmet was cracked and lying separately. It must have fallen off.

     Justin wasn't in as good shape as Eric. His jacket was torn and covered in bloody stains. Blood was running from his mouth, arms, and other places on his body. It stained his blond hair, which suggested serious damage to his head. The area around his shoulder blades was slashed in two parallel markings which were also oozing blood.

     He wasn't breathing.

**Epilogue**

     The phone rang. Ariana ran to it and garbed it in the first ring.

     "Hello?"

     "Ariana Bailey?"

     "Yes. Who is this?"

     "This is Eric Cole."

     "Eric?"

     "Yes. Listen well: there was an accident."

     "Oh my God," she suddenly got a bad felling.

     "Come to Central Hospital. Something's happened to Justin." 

To be continued in Part 4 "Unspoken Secrets"…


End file.
